IRLF 


SB    15 


GIFT   OF 


»Aiv 


A  Talk  on  Teaching 

For  Field  Artillery   Instructors 


BY 


RAYMOND  WALTERS 

Captain,  A.  G.  D.,  U.  S.  A. 
Registrar,  F.  A.  C.  O.  T.  S. 


Delivered  during  October,  1918 

Before  the  Instructors  of  the 

Field  Artillery  Central  Officers  Training  School 

CAMP  ZACHARY  TAYLOR,  KY. 


(Re-printed  from  the  Instruction  Memoranda 

of  the  F.  A.  C.  O.  T.  S.  by  permission 

of  the  Commandant) 


Headquarters 

Field  Artillery  Central  Officers  Training  School, 
Camp  Zachary  Taylor,  Ky. 


Instruction  Memorandum  No.  1-D. 
Subject:  A  TALK  ON  TEACHING 

by 

RAYMOND  WALTERS 
Captain,  A.  G.  D.,  U.  S.  A. 
Registrar,  F.  A.  C.  O.  T.  S. 


Delivered  During  October,  1918, 
Before  the  Instructors  of  the  School  by  Departments. 

I  congratulate  you  gentlemen  upon  your  opportunity  to  be  instructors  in  this 
School.  This  is  not  a  jocose  remark.  I  am  acquainted  with  the  view-point  of  those 
who  say  that  they  came  into  the  Army  to  fight,  not  to  teach  school.  The  new  arrange- 
ment by  which  a  certain  turn-over  of  the  instructors  here  who  do  good  work  will  go  over- 
seas will  meet  even  that  objection. 

My  congratulations  are  not  based  on  the  fact  that  you  have  the  honor  of  connec- 
tion with  the  largest  school  in  the  world.  Size  isn't  important  merely  as  size.  But  I 
congratulate  you  because  you  have  here  an  exceptional  chance  to  serve.  To  teach  the 
men  who  will  command  and  who  will  in  turn  teach  the  great  selective  draft  army  of  the 
United  States  in  a  vital  branch  of  waif  are  against  the  Hun — what  greater  or  more  impor- 
tant work  than  this !  We  need  to  stress  this  conception  of  the  dignity  and  importance 
of  the  Instructor. 

Let  me  say,  as  one  who  has  had  some  acquaintance  with  colleges  and  schools, 
that  I  regard  this  as  one  of  the  most  remarkable  institutions  of  learning  in  this  country. 
It  was  my  privilege  to  be  present  here  at  Camp  Taylor  last  June  just  before  the  School 
was  started,  in  the  days  when  Colonel  Carter  was  planning  the  course.  In  a  special 
degree,  therefore,  I  appreciate  the  difficulties  he  faced  and  solved,  assisted  by  a  few  co- 
workers. 

This  School  has,  I  believe,  absolutely  established  General  Snow's  theory  of  the 
value  of  standardization;  and  Colonel  Carter's  working  out  of  that  theory  will  have 
value  both  for  war  and  peace.  Army  organization  will  profit  by  what  has  been  done 
here.  I  am  confident,  also,  that  general  education  may  here  learn  many  a  lesson  of 
suggestive  force  and  practical  application. 

So  much  by  way  of  introduction. 

And  now  for  the  period  that  the  Senior  Instructor,  Colonel  Arnold,  has  asked  me 
to  give  to  hints  on  teaching. 

I.     THE  INTELLECTUAL  EQUIPMENT  OF  THE  INSTRUCTOR. 

(A)   Sound  knowledge  of  his  subject. 

Underscore  that  on  the  outlines  that  have  been  distributed.  We  in  America  tend 
toward  a  showy  glibness.  We  want  to  be  broad.  We  succeed — and  become  shallow. 
Mastery  is  the  goal  every  soldier  must  set  before  himself.  We  must  despise  and  teach 
our  students  to  despise  superficial  knowledge,  sloppy  execution,  "bluffing"  and  "pass- 

ingthebuck'"  388357 


Page  2— A  Talk-  qn.Tea^chfng    :  '       ^    .* 

Worfc  as  an  instructor  in  this  School  will  help  toward  mastery.  Every  time  you 
go  over  a  Field  Artillery  subject  with  a  class,  thinking  about  it,  doing  and  demon- 
strating, you  strengthen  the  nerve  connections  in  your  brain  in  respect  to  that  subject. 

Not  until  you  are  automatically  perfect  in  execution  and  are  at  the  same  time  a 
resourceful,  ready,  and  self-reliant  thinker  have  you  gained  mastery  in  the  Field 
Artillery. 

None  of  us,  conscious  of  our  shortcomings,  need  be  discouraged  by  what  I  have 
just  said.  To  be  a  good  teacher  one  need  not  be  a  specialist  or  an  authority  in  Field 
Artillery.  That  is  a  requirement  for  instructors  at  the  post-graduate  school,  Fort  Sill. 
But  in  this  "college"  work,  excellent  teaching  may  be  done  (as  we  may  corroborate  by 
reflecting  upon  our  own  college  days)  by  young  men  who  have  a  good  command  of  their 
subject  and  who,  because  of  their  nearness  in  years  to  their  students,  have  a  vivid  appre- 
ciation of  the  difficulties  and  view-point  of  students. 

(B)  A  sympathetic  attitude. 

Robert  Louis  Stevenson  somewhere  said  of  the  Writer  that  the  one  tool  in  his 
kit  is  sympathy.  This  is  even  more  true  of  the  Teacher. 

To  be  a  real  instructor  means  first  of  all  to  be  a  human  being.  Colonel  Carter 
sets  the  tone  when  he  admonishes  officers  reporting  here  for  the  first  time  to  be  "firm, 
just  and  kind."  A  large  number  of  students  with  whom  I  have  talked  have  assured  me 
that  sarcasm  and  ridicule  are  rare  in  this  School.  This  is  as  it  should  be. 

But  we  do  not  want  what  Emerson  called  the  "mush  of  concession"  or  Sheridan's 
"pineapples  of  politeness."  This  is  a  school  of  soldiers.  Direct  action  and  direct 
speech  are  imperative.  It  is  a  fact  that  candidates  have  a  contempt  for  an  "easy" 
teacher  or  one  who  courts  popularity.  They  will  take — and  relish — severe  reproof  if  it 
is  merited  and  delivered  impersonally. 

(C)  Knowing  how  to  teach. 

A  third  and  indispensable  qualification  of  the  instructor  is  that  he  shall  know 
how  to  teach.  Once  in  a  while,  over  in  the  Observation  Area,  we  find  a  rookie  who 
thinks  instruction  in  drill  regulations  is  beneath  his  dignity.  Once  in  a  while  we  find 
an  instructor  who  regards  a  formal  study  of  how  to  teach  as  "all  poppy-cock."  Alas  for 
both  of  them . 

II.    TEACHING  METHODS. 

The  aim  of  this  talk  is  to  outline  methods  of  teaching  and  to  give  suggestions 
applicable  to  this  School.  They  are  collected  from  sources  that  are  authoritative  in 
the  educational  world. 

No  one  should  feel  cramped  by  following  definite  principles,  because  "while  they 
check  one's  freedom  along  foolish  lines,  (they)  guide  effort  into  channels  of  efficiency." 

We  have  it  upon  the  word  of  that  great  psychologist,  philosopher,  and  teacher, 
the  late  William  James  of  Harvard,  that  the  science  of  psychology  as  applied  to  general 
pedagogics  "is  much  like  the  science  of  war." 

"Nothing  is  simpler  or  more  definite  than  the  principles  of  either.  In  war,  all 
you  have  to  do  is  to  work  your  enemy  into  a  position  from  whjch  the  natural  obstacles 
prevent  him  from  escaping  if  he  tries  to;  then  to  fall  on  him  in  numbers  superior  to  his 
own,  at  a  moment  when  you  have  led  him  to  think  you  are  far  away;  and  so,  with  a  mini- 
mum of  exposure  of  your  own  troops,  to  hack  his  forces  to  pieces  and  take  the  remainder 
prisoners.  Just  so,  in  teaching,  you  must  simply  work  your  pupil  into  such  a 
state  of  interest  in  what  you  are  going  to  teach  him  that  every  other  ob- 
ject of  attention  is  banished  from  his  mind;  then  reveal  it  to  him  so  impressively  that 
he  will  remember  the  occasion  to  his  dying  day;  and  finally  fill  him  with  devouring 
curiosity  to  know  what  the  next  steps  in  connection  with  the  subject  are.  The  princi- 
ples being  so  plain,  there  would  be  nothing  but  victories  for  the  masters  of  science, 
either  on  the  battlefield  or  in  the  school  room,  if  they  did  not  both  have  to  make  their 
application  to  an  incalculable  quantity  in  the  shape  of  the  mind  of  their  opponent.  The 


A  Talk  on  Teaching— Page  3 

mind  of  your  own  enemy,  the  pupil,  is  working  away  from  you  as  keenly  and  eagerly  as 
is  the  mind  of  the  commander  on  the  other  side  from  the  scientific  general.  Just  what 
the  respective  enemies  want  and  think,  and  just  what  they  know  and  do  not  know  are 
as  hard  for  the  teacher  as  for  the  general  to  find  out.  Divination  and  perception,  not 
psychological  pedagogics  or  theoretic  strategy,  are  the  only  helpers  here." 

(A)  How  can  an  instructor  arouse  the  interest  of  his  candidates? 

We  in  this  School,  have  a  great  advantage.  College  students  are  largely  sent  to 
college.  Our  students  come  here,  mostly  mature  men  who  have  made  sacrifices  to  do 
so  and  who  are  in  grim  earnest.  The  usual  artificial  means  of  stimulating  interest  are 
less  necessary  here. 

But  they  are  not  entirely  unnecessary.  Witness  the  slump  that  attended  the 
recent  peace  talk  and  that  again  impends;  or  the  sagging  of  interest  in  subjects  stu- 
dents judge  less  vital  for  the  Field  Artillery. 

Professor  James  pointed  out  that  to  attract  interest  we  must  find  what  ideas  are 
already  in  the  minds  of  our  pupils  and  then 

"Associate  the  new  with  the  old  in  some  natural  and  telling  way,  so  that  the 
interest,  being  shed  along  from  point  to  point,  finally  suffuses  the  entire  system  of  objects 
of  thought." 

Certain  that  every  candidate  knows  baseball  you  can  refer  to  the  spirit  of  obey- 
ing a  hit  and  run  signal  with  a  man  on  base  and  apply  it  to  the  necessity  of  subordinating 
the  individual  to  the  battery  in  military  discipline.  To  cite  an  article  in  the  current 
"Field  Artillery  Journal"  or  an  Associated  Press  dispatch  of  yesterday  relating  to  the 
Field  Artillery  in  France  is  another  way  to  enlist  attention. 

Some  minds  are  naturally  fertile  in  producing  illustrations,  as  the  Autocrat  of  the 
Breakfast  Table  once  pointed  out.  It  is  because  of  this  fertility  that  their  lucky  pos- 
sessors are  interesting  talkers  and  teachers. 

But  all  of  us,  by  a  deliberate  effort,  may  progress  in  this  direction.  To  search 
for  similes,  to  inquire  as  to  what  our  pupils  are  thinking  about  (reading  their  newspaper, 
"The  Probable  Error"  will  help)  and  to  relate  our  material  to  their  intellectual  back- 
ground— all  this  means  work.  But  the  results  are  worth  it. 

A  valuable  way  to  gain  attention  is  to  point  out  how  simple  a  subject  is.  Both 
as  an  instance  of  this  and  as  an  example  of  clear  statement,  observe  the  paragraph  in 
the  Instruction  Memorandum  No.  1-C,  beginning: 

"Field  Artillery  has  two  things  to  do;  first,  to  get  there;  second,  to  shoot." 

It  is  a  mistake,  however,  to  try  to  make  things  appear  easy  when  they  are  not 
easy.  It  is  better  frankly  to  say:  "Now  the  lesson  for  tomorrow  on  computation  of 
firing  data  is  hard.  You'll  have  to  put  your  best  into  getting  it."  There  is  a  challenge 
in  a  difficult  task  that  appeals.  Football  is  hard  and  grueling;  which  explains  why 
"he-boys"  prefer  it  to  croquet. 

There  is  a  besetting  tendency  on  the  part  of  teachers  today  to  do  work  that  the 
pupil  ought  to  do.  Avoid  this. 

"The  practical  problem  of  the  i/eache^  is  to  preserve  a  balance  between  so  little 
showing  and  telling  as  to  fail  to  stimulate  reflection  and  so  much  as  to  choke  thought." 
—(Prof.  John  Dewey.) 

(B)  How  to  hold  attention. 

To  attract  attention  is  easier  than  to  hold  it.  You  can  get  the  attention  of  a  class 
by  telling  a  funny  story  or  by  jumping  around  like  Billy  Sunday.  But  circus  methods, 
beside  being  alien  to  the  spirit  of  the  service,  don't  pay,  because  they  don't  wear  well. 

The  first  step  toward  holding  attention  is  to  have  the  candidates  sit  in  an  atten- 
tive but  not  rigid  physical  attitude. 

Variety  helps.  Consciousness  is  a  moving  stream.  Try  to  watch  a  single  object 
for  three  minutes,  and  see  how  attention  flags.  To  retain  interest  you  must  turn  your 
subject  over  and  over,  causing  the  class  to  look  at  it  from  different  angles. 


Page  4— A  Talk  on  Teaching 

Variation  in  speed  is  efficacious.  Give  emphasis  to  your  main  topics  by  stating 
them  deliberately.  Change  your  vocal  tone  as  well  as  your  tempo. 

(C)  Questions. 

Questions  and  answers  are  preferable  to  the  lecture  system,  so  far  as  this  vSchool 
is  concerned.  There  are  two  sides  to  this  subject;  the  questions  you  ask  and  the  ques- 
tions the  candidates  ask. 

A  good  question  is  one  stated  clearly  in  a  sufficiently  loud  tone  and  with  distinct 
enunciation.  In  out-of-door  classes,  these  elements  of  tone  and  enunciation  are  more 
than  ordinarily  important. 

The  following  rules,  adapted  from  Prof.  W.  C.  Bagley's  "Class  Room  Manage- 
ment," are  worthy  of  study: 

1.  Ask  the  question  first,  then  wait  a  short  time  before  calling  upon  an  indi- 
vidual for  the  answer. 

2.  Avoid  calling  on  the  candidates  in  regular  order. 

3.  Occasionally  interrupt  and  ask  another  to  continue  the  discussion. 

4.  Commend  good  work;  discourage  sloppy  answers. 

5.  Don't  help  the  candidate  in  reciting. 

"When  questions  are  answered  on  the  instant,  the  chances  are  against  their  being 
the  result  of  much  thinking." 

The  foregoing  statement,  from  "The  Question  as  a  Factor  in  Teaching"  by  J.  W. 
and  A.  C.  K.  Hall,  is  pertinent.  It  must  be  remembered,  however,  that  a  brain  which 
thinks  quickly  as  well  as  accurately  is  demanded  in  the  Field  Artillery.  So  don't  wait 
too  long  for  an  answer. 

Now  as  to  the  questions  of  the  candidates  in  class.  They  may  be  divided  into 
three  groups:  (1)  foolish  questions;  (2)  unnecessary  questions;  and  (3)  desirable  ques- 
tions. A  word  about  each. 

Foolish  Questions— All  of  us  have  asked  such.  All  of  us,  at  college,  have  tried, 
when  not  prepared  on  a  lesson,  to  get  the  professor  started  on  a  line  of  talk  that  would 
waste  time  and  save  us  from  the  wrath  to  come.  Be  on  your  guard  against  that  here. 
Watch  also  for  the  ingratiating,  self-advertising  candidate  who  asks  questions  for  the 
sake  of  asking. 

Unnecessary  Questions  are  those  that  are  either  too  easy  or  too  hard  in  a  tech- 
nical way. 

When  a  candidate  starts  to  ask  questions  on  some  elementary  point  that  may 
perplex  him,  but  which  all  others  in  the  class  manifestly  understand,  tell  the  asker  of 
the  too-easy  question  that  you  will  be  glad  to  explain  the  point  out  of  class. 

A  peculiar  sort  of  unnecessary  question  often  arises  in  this  school.  The  class 
frequently  includes  men  experienced  in  technical  fields,  who  know  considerably  more 
than  the  instructor  does  about  the  manufacture  of  caissons,  or  the  action  of  fuzes,  or  the 
diseases  of  horses.  Then  the  expert  candidate  is  prone  to  ask  technical  questions  that 
are  embarrassing  or  that  carry  the  discussion  into  unnecessary  ramifications.  The  one 
safe  rule  for  such  cases  is  to  apply  this  test:  Is  the  question  essential  for  the  mastery 
of  this  lesson?  If  it  is,  discuss  it,  calling  upon  the  candidate  expert  to  assist  in  the  ex- 
position. If  the  question  is  not  essential,  announce  "The  point  raised  is  not  really  per- 
tinent to  our  study."  Then  proceed  with  the  lesson. 

(D)  Answers. 

We  have  considered  what  a  good  question  is.     What  is  a  good  answer? 

A  good  answer  must  first  of  all  be  correct  grammatically.  Be  stern  in  banning  the 
prevalent  "It's  when"  construction,  illustrated  as  follows:  "What  is  the  angle  of  de- 
parture?" "It's  when  the  angle  is  between  the  plane,  etc."  A  simple  declarative  sen- 
tence is  the  safest  form  for  the  average  candidate. 


A  Talk  on  Teaching— Page  5 

Don't  permit  students  to  reply  in  vocal  short-hand.  Require  that  the  answer 
shall  be  a  unit  which  may  be  understood,  irrespective  of  the  question;  for  example: 

Question.     "What  is  the  angle  of  departure?" 

Answer.  "The  angle  of  departure  is  the  angle  between  the  plane  of  site  and  the 
line  of  departure." 

(B)  Akin  to  the  subject  of  the  answer  is  the  subject  of  the  definition.  Science 
is  systematic  endeavor  toward  definition.  It  explores  and  charts  the  unknown,  its  con- 
stant aim  being  to  attain  a  verifiable  definition  of  the  laws  of  the  universe.  In  the  every- 
day world  the  practice  of  clear  definition  is  valuable.  We  are  all  familiar  with  persons 
who  have  a  "general  idea"  of  what  the  "thing"  is.  What  a  relief  to  meet  a  man  who 
knows  and  who  can  express  what  he  knows!  Impress  upon  your  students  that  in  the 
Army,  and  particularly  in  the  Field  Artillery,  the  habit  of  concise  and  accurate  state- 
ment is  indispensable.  How  can  we  teach  candidates  here  to  attain  it?  We  can't  teach 
it — in  twelve  weeks. 

Assuming  a  continuance  of  candidates  of  the  same  intellectual  calibre  we  have  had 
(which  has  been  high)  the  following  suggestions  may  be  useful: 

Dwell  upon  the  necessity  of  good  speech,  presenting  it  as  a  goal  always  to  be  held 
before  a  soldier.  Make  it  plain  that  you  mean  not  ornate  or  elaborate  style,  but  sim- 
ple, straightforward  expression. 

Be  a  living  example  yourself.  Your  student  will  imitate  you;  the  psychological 
law  of  imitation  will  take  care  of  that. 

Encourage  memorizing  definitions  in  the  text  book — but  do  not  insist  upon  this. 
Guard  against  parrot  reproduction  of  text  book  definitions  by  searching  questions  as  to 
what  the  words  mean  and  by  calling  for  illustrations.  "Distrust  the  repetition  of  words 
as  a  test  of  anything  more  than  a  verbal  memory."  (Thorndike). 

(E)     Planning  a  recitation. 

1.  The  principle  of  good  teaching  is  the  same  as  that  of  a  good  army:     Organ- 
ization.    The  basis  of  success  in  both  is  plan. 

A  candidate  has  a  legitimate  cause  for  complaint  when  he  faces  an  examination 
and  finds  questions  on  ground  that  was  not  covered  in  class.  The  examinations  sent 
out  from  the  Senior  instructor's  Office,  uniform  to  all  sections,  embrace  subjects  in  the 
Instruction  Memoranda,  and  no  others.  Talks  I  have  had  with  numerous  instructors 
and  candidates  have  convinced  me  that  these  assignments  are  well  ordered  and  propor- 
tioned; that  they  constitute  a  "do-able"  job  for  the  time  and  conditions.  These  assign- 
ments represent  planning.  To  fulfill  them  demands  planning  also. 

2.  How  plan?    Here  are  some  hints. 

(a)  Plan  your  management  of  the  class  on  the  night  preceding  the  recitation. 

Resolve  that  nothing  shall  divert  you  from  covering  the  assignment  in  the 
Instruction  Memoranda. 

(b)  Consider  two  factors  in  regard  to  the  lesson:    Subject  matter  and  method  of 

presenting. 

(c)  Determine  major  topics  and  the  minor  topics   of   the  subject   matter  and 

assign  to  each  a  certain  portion  of  the  recitation  hour. 

(d)  Meditate  on  how  you  can  arouse  the  interest  of  that  particular  class  in  that 

particular  subject. 

(e)  Prepare  for  a  review,  at  the  beginning  of  the  recitation,  in  which  you  will 

briefly  summarize  (or  have  some  candidate  summarize)  what  was  covered 
in  the  preceding  lesson. 

(f)  Prepare  for  a  few  minutes  at  the  end  of  the  hour  in  which  to  announce  the 

next  lesson,  pointing  out  its  major  topics. 

(g)  Write  out  an  outline  of  your  recitation.     Such  a  written  plan  will  guide  you 

in  class.     Kept  for  reference,  it  will  save  you  trouble  when  you  take  another 
class  over  the  course.     But  revise  your  plan,  in  the  light  of  experience. 


Page  6 — A  Talk  on  Teaching 

(F)     Conducting  a  recitation. 

The  suggestions  I  have  given  as  to  planning  a  recitation  cover  in  large  measure 
the  conduct  of  the  recitation. 

1.  Devote  three  to  five  minutes  at  the  outset  to  a  summary  of  the  preceding  les- 
son.    This  is  particularly  needed  in  this  School,  where  some  members  of  the  class  may 
have  been  absent  from  the  preceding  recitation  on  guard  or  K.  P.  or  other  special  duty. 
The  opening  review  will  strengthen  the  mental  connections  formed  in  the  earlier  lesson 
and  will  demonstrate  the  continuity  of  the  subject.     Let  the  instructor  who  protests 
that  he  hasn't  time  for  this  consider  whether  he  doesn't  permit  more  time  to  be  lost 
daily  by  useless  questions  and  profitless  discussion. 

2.  Announce  your  topics  as  you  take  them  up.     Candidates  like  to  know  that 
there  is  a  plan.     Don't  be  afraid  to  show  the  bones  of  your  recitation  skeleton. 

3.  Follow  faithfully  your  time  arrangement  of  your  lesson.     So  many  minutes  for 
this  topic,  so  many  minutes  for  that.     Instead  of  cramping  you,  this  time  schedule  will 
liberate  you.     It  will  avoid  that  frenzied  rush  toward  the  close  of  the  hour  to  catch  up 
for  dawdling  over  non-essentials. 

4.  Devote  a  few  minutes  at  the  end  of  the  period  to  an  intelligent  assignment  of 
the  next  lesson.     You  can  render  legitimate  help  by  pointing  out  that  such  and  such 
paragraphs,  D.  &  S.  R.  F.  A.,  deserve  special  attention. 

6.  Conduct  each  recitation  as  though  it  is  the  most  vital  and  interesting  subject 
in  the  world.  Please  don't  be  blase.  A  bored  instructor  will  have  a  bored  classj  and 
you  can  make  a  truthful  pun  out  of  that  by  spelling  the  last  "Bored,"  B-o-a-r-d. 

6.  An  energetic  manner,  a  crisp  enunciation  and  enthusiasm — these  qualities  in 
an  instructor  will  keep  any  class  awake.  Only  don't  overdo  the  thing.  Keep  up  the 
check-rein  of  reserve. 

III.  GENERAL  EDUCATIONAL  TRUTHS. 

I  want,  before  closing,  to  present  to  you  several  educational  truths  that  every 
teacher  should  make  part  of  himself. 

(A)  The  laws  of  habit. 

In  his  classic  chapter  on  habit,  William  James  said: 

"The  teacher's  prime  concern  should  be  to  ingrain  in  the  pupil  that  assortment 
of  habits  that  shall  be  most  useful  to  him  throughout  life.  Education  is  for  behavior, 
and  habits  are  the  stuff  of  which  behavior  consists." 

The  laws  of  habit,  which  this  great  thinker  enunciated,  may  be  adapted  with 
reference  to  our  situation  here  as  follows: 

1.  We  must  cause  our  candidates  to  make  automatic  and  habitual,  as  early  as 
possible,  actions  that  make  the  good  Field  Artillery  officer. 

2.  We  must  launch  them  with  as  strong  and  decided  an  initiative  as  possible  to- 
ward new  military  habits  and  the  breaking  off  of  un-military  habits. 

3.  Never  suffer  an  exception  to  occur  till  the  new  habit  is  securely  rooted  in  their 
lives.     Continuity  of  training  is  the  great  means  of  making  the  nervous  system  act  in- 
fallibly right. 

The  next  three  maxims  I  propose  we  shall  apply  to  ourselves. 

4.  Seize  the  very  first  possible  opportunity  to  act  on  every  resolution  you  make, 
and  on  every  emotional  prompting  you  may  experience  in  the  direction  of  the  habits  you 
aspire  to  gain.     Not  until  you  begin  to  apply  the  principles  of  teaching  we  have  consid- 
ered will  they  be  of  value. 

5.  Don't  preach  too  much  to  your  candidates  or  abound  in  good  talk  in  the 
abstract. 

(B)  The  law  of  improvement. 

We  are  all  seeking  to  improve  ourselves  as  officers  and  as  instructors.  We  prac- 
tice faithfully,  with  confidence  in  the  old  maxim  that  practice  makes  perfect.  But 


A  Talk  on  Teaching— Page  7 

practice  in  itself  does  not  make  perfect.  To  go  through  the  gun  squad  drill  poorly  a 
hundred  times  simply  ingrains  the  habit  of  poor  execution.  Likewise  with  a  listless 
computation  of  firing  data.  To  perform  any  act  at  less  that  our  best  brings  no  improve- 
ment. 

The  law  of  progress  is  thus  stated  by  the  eminent  psychologist,  Dr.  B.  L.  Thorn- 
dike  of  Columbia  University: 

"Improvement  comes  through  intense,  earnest  effort  and  the  elimination  of 
mistakes." 

Study  that  statement.     Heed  it. 

And,  finally,  ponder  upon  the  further  words  of  Dr.  Thorndike: 

"Every  thought  and  act  of  life  count  **  We  build  the  lad  derby  which  we  climb. 
Nothing  happens  by  chance  *  *  He  that  is  faithful  in  a  little  is  given  authority  over  ten 
cities." 

That  you  who  are  faithful  in  your  teaching  here  may  be  given  authority  over 
"ten  cities"  of  a  battery  command  in  France  is  my  closing  hope  and  prediction  for  you. 


Prepared  and  published  by  direction  of  The  Chief  of  Field  Artillery. 
By  Order  of  Colonel  Carter, 

John  C.  Wyeth, 

Major,  F.  A.  U.  S.  A. 

Adjutant. 


Gay  lord  Bros. 

Makers 

Syracuse,  N.  Y. 
PAT.  JAN.  21,  1908 


388357 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 


